It was a cloudy day, but it seemed that every day was cloudy now. I was hungry, as usual, but I felt good about the prospects of what may come of this new place I had heard about. I was there with a friend that I was recently introduced to at one of our meetings. It seemed that we had lots of meetings. I guess because there were so many new problems to deal with these days. The main theme in all our gatherings was that there is strength in unity. So much more could be accomplished together rather than trying to make it on our own.

We lined up behind our buggies. We were in what used to be an old grocery store that had long ago been looted and abandoned. It had been taken over, I suppose just recently, by the new proprietor who introduced himself as Big John. There were a few holes in the roof and the place smelled of mildew but other than that it was OK.

The loud, bearded man that ran the place, who some whispered used to be a preacher, Big John, was barking out orders. “First rule, no one talks while I’m talking, I will not be repeating myself today people, I have a sore throat and I do not intend to talk anymore than I have too, if you do interrupt me you are out. Next rule, no pushing or shoving, you will behave yourselves when you shop in my store or you are out and you will not be allowed back, I will remember you! Next rule, do not take anything out of anyone else’s basket, if you get caught doing that you are out and banned for good! Any Questions about the rules?” No one seemed to want to question the large man with the booming voice, and rugged features.

The only sounds heard over the distant coughing of a generator somewhere in the background were babies crying in the other room. You could see them with their dirty little faces behind a big glass window with a large crack in it. “Good, since you all understand the rules now I will tell you what our specials are today.” The people who listened intently, nervously shifted back and forth on the chipped and broken tiles in the worn, grimy floor. Big John Bradford, finished his speech by giving everyone the lowdown on the special prices of the frozen goods. This was the weekend, and as was the custom, frozen goods were always on special every Saturday. Of course you could still find other stuff, canned and jar goods mostly, some boxed stuff that probably was good if it had not been smashed too bad. You could also find some candy, gummy bears, even chocolate if it had not melted yet. Bottled water was also on sale but it was not cheap.  In fact it was probably the most expensive item at the market this day. People would kill for this stuff, but Big John's attitude seemed to keep folks in check today.

The prices were pretty good today, you could trade good weapons like knives, guns and ammunition if you had any or you could trade tobacco products. Money was no good, but jewelry was still valuable although not worth much compared to a Colt 45 with bullets. The big guy wore one on his hip and no one bothered him for that single reason alone I suspect.

This was the way it was since all the factories and grocery stores had been shut down after the grid went dark. The EMP attack had taken all our power and communications. It wasn't long before nuclear plants began to melt down, chaos had ensued and millions died. Luckily, a few of us had survived in our bunkers but our food lasted only so long. Once we became hungry we set out looking for food and found that many others like us had survived too.

You could find these black market stores set up if you knew where to look, This of course was my first visit and let me tell you it was a blessing. My family had not eaten a decent meal in more than a year. We were scraping and scrounging like everyone else. The only meat we had eaten at all lately was from some skinny racoons we had caught sniffing around the compound where we lived. The core meltdown at the Nuclear Plant North of the city had seen to it that no one, at least none of the survivors we knew of and they’re weren’t many of us, would have a good meal for a long time. Most the food had been contaminated. When we found this guy selling what was supposed to be good food, we were happy to stand and listen to him shout out his rules in order to have something to eat that was not too radioactive or spoiled. I looked up at the big guy again just in time to hear him begin his prayer.

“Before we begin people, let us pray. Dear Lord, thank you for all the food we have here today to share with these hungry people, your children. Bless these brave souls and bless this food for us all to share and enjoy for the nourishment of our tired bodies, oh Lord. Lord, please look after our loved ones who have been taken from us in this time of chaos and hardships. It is only faith in you O’ King of Kings that gives us the strength and courage to continue to survive in these troubled times. Thank you Lord for what you have blessed us with on this day, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.” Everyone repeated that amen and looked up with eager, anticipation in their bleak and hungry eyes.

“OK people, start shopping, and remember, there is only one door out of here and you pay me as you leave!”

Read more stories like this from the ebook:  "Lost Lore from an Ancient Future"
Posted by JD Pearce at 1:46 AM No comments: Setting Goals for 2017

This is an article I published on Linkedin.. Some folks are goal oriented, others are not. Perhaps they don't like setting goals for fear of not achieving them and then being disappointed. Whatever the reason, it is my firm belief that we need to set goals.
Here's why!
This is how we hold ourselves accountable and how we move ahead and achieve the objectives we desire. Whether it's our business or personal lives, we must be able to measure what we are doing to determine how we are doing. Just like when a company asks you to evaluate their performance, this is key to improving. So next time you sit down to reflect upon your life and where you are now, as opposed to where you want to be, set some goals and start working to make things happen.
It can be as simple as this, for example:
What do I want to accomplish in 2017?
So you see, it's easy to come up with items you would like to improve upon, the key is to write it down and put it somewhere where you will read it and be reminded of it each day or maybe each week. Keep a journal if you like to write and monitor your own progress.
If you are really ambitious you can set lofty goals like this!
You can go slow or you can go BIG, it's all up to you. One thing to keep in mind, try to make goals attainable, if you shoot for the moon, sometimes you don't make it all the way and it can be discouraging. Start small and work you way up to BIG!
Good Luck and go out and make it happen this year, all you need is a good attitude, a good network and a goal oriented vision of where you want to go.

Posted by JD Pearce at 7:44 AM No comments: Sunday, January 15, 2017

A you tired? This will help!

Drink Water!

Yes, it's that simple.  Drinking water can refresh your entire body and refocus your mind.  Many people are dehydrated.  From mildly to wildly!  Most of us do not drink enough water because we drink too much coffee, soda, beer, etc..  Many of these drinks are diuretics and will cause you to purge the water from your system leaving you dehydrated. I know because I have had that problem for many years.  I am a coffee addict and I love to quench my thirst on a hot day with cold beer instead of water.  So that leaves me dehydrated most of the time.  Even when I try to drink more water I have trouble drinking as much as my body needs.  So since we have just begun a new year, let's make it our goal to drink more water!  Water is our source of life, we can survive for many days, even weeks without food but without water, the body will shut down in about 3 to 5 days.  Think about this, when we sweat or exhale we are losing the bodies moisture just as when we eliminate waste.  In a body made up of 60% water this can deplete our needed supply very quickly.  Brain tissue will begin to shrink and organs shut down. We can not think clearly or concentrate as well.  If you are working in a dangerous environment this can lead to disaster!  I drive allot and when I start feeling tired  and losing focus I reach for the water (if I have any) and within seconds after a long drink I feel refreshed and my mind becomes clearer!  Here's a very good article extolling the virtues of drinking and using water for good health.

So, Drink Water My Friend! Benefits of Drinking Water!http://greatist.com/health/health-benefits-water
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